Gay Pride

Iceland is easily one of the most gay-friendly destinations worldwide. With progressive leaning views, inclusive LGBT laws and a tolerant population, it’s a great destination for gay travelers. It’s also one of the safest countries to travel to having an incredibly low crime rate compared to other western nations. Add beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, glaciers and puffins and you’ve really got no excuse not to go. We’ve teamed up with Out Adventures to share some amazing (and gay!) experiences in this tiny island nation just south of the Arctic Circle.

If you are planning to be one of the estimated three million people taking part in this year’s WorldPride Madrid 2017, you probably have a plan for making the most of your time in the Spanish Capital. Parades, parties, clubs, restaurants, tapas bars, parks and museums… Madrid has it all no matter your travel style or budget.

But one of the best things to do in Madrid during Pride is try authentic local Spanish food. Madrid is one of Spain’s most exciting cities for cuisine, and is chock full with incredible markets, tapas bars, wine bars and restaurants. Our friends from Devour Madrid Food Tours offer great tours and they know all the city’s foodie secrets. To make sure you get a true taste of the city, a food or tapas tour in Madrid is definitely the way to go. Here’s why!

Barcelona has been a destination of choice for gay tourists for the past couple decades and its reputation as a gay friendly city is well deserved. The Mediterranean climate is difficult to pass up and the proximity to beaches and mountains make it a visual masterpiece. We’ve been to Barcelona at least five times and we discover something new and exciting every time we visit. With mild weather, a thriving gay scene and a great quality of life, Barcelona is wonderful anytime of the year but the city explodes with life during its annual pride celebration.

Pride Barcelona 2018 is scheduled for June 23rd to 30th and features a dedicated pride village with food and drink vendors plus a parade, lots of activities and performances throughout the weekend. The city hosts numerous parties and activities including an amazing (and free!) outdoor foam party as part of the festivities. In fact, last year marked the 10th anniversary of Pride Barcelona and each celebration just gets better than before.

We attended Pride Barcelona in 2015 and had a blast so we thought we’d give you a rundown of 9 amazing reasons why we think you should attend! We promise you won’t regret it.

Special Offer! – Want to visit Barcelona during gay pride? You can save 25€ on the Barcelona Gay Pride package with Rainbow Gay Tours, our favorite European gay tour operator. Just mention the promo code “TWOBADTOURISTS” when booking for your discount. More info here!

Summer is a fantastic time to visit Europe and Spain is no exception. With plenty of warm and sunny days you could spend months exploring the big cities and Spanish countryside, but given you probably have just a short time to visit you’ve got to pick the best and most exciting.

Summer is also pride season and Spain boasts some of the best gay pride celebrations in Europe and the world. This year Madrid will welcome World Pride 2017 where an expected 3 million people will join in the Spanish capital to celebrate diversity, progress of LGBT rights and well, to simply come together in public and throw a big party. Just a week later Barcelona will follow with its annual celebration on the coast of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. We’ve attended both events and can’t recommend them enough. Plus, if you’re looking to join a gay group tour, our friends at Spain 7 Degrees will take you effortlessly to both cities during pride on a 10-day tour from June 30th to July 9th, with a quick stop in Andalusia in between.

During the last week in January the Swiss Alps heated up as 500+ LGBTA people came together to celebrate Arosa Gay Ski Week. Now in its 13th year, the event creates a welcoming atmosphere for all LGBT people and allies in the gay friendly village of Arosa, Switzerland. The skiing and snowboarding might be the main draw for most attendees but second to that (or perhaps better) are the lineup of events and activities throughout the week. From the White Party at the top of the mountain to evening classical music concerts, the week-long event has something for just about everyone and every taste.